Fire Burns Brighter In The Darkness
by Danceprincess101
Summary: It was true, Lily thought, she didn't have any idea who she was searching for, other than Finnick and Rose. She barely knew where they were. Heck, she was probably in way over her head. But she did know one thing, something her mother had told her a long time ago: fire burns brighter in the darkness. Even if she had no idea where to begin, she knew she could do it.
1. Prologue

**Hi guys!**

**So, here is the sequel to More Than Just A Piece In Their Game ( s/8482254/1/More-Than-Just-A-Piece-In-Their-Game) my first story. As sequels tend to do, this story picks up where the last one left off; though if you didn't read the last one and you don't really feel like reading it now, don't sweat it! You can pick up here and probably understand what's going on. Still, if you want to check out the first story, the link is above. Basically, this story takes place about 16 years after the last story, so the Katniss/Peeta generation are in their 30s, while the next generation is in their teens. As always, sorry for typos, grammar errors, and any errors in general. Reviews are always welcome, even encouraged, and I'll try and post the next chapter as soon as I can. And now...the PROLOGUE!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any content, characters, or anything else belonging to the Hunger Games. That all belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

_Lily walked through the white halls effortlessly, knowing every nook and cranny chiseled into the wall. She felt a sense of familiarity here, even though she'd never actually been to this place. It was a dream Lily knew, and yet she couldn't help but be curious as to where it would lead her this time. All of her dreams had always started off the same, in this bright white hall that lead to anywhere. The question was, where would they lead tonight?_

_She passed a couple of closed doors, ignoring them as she continued to walk. One room, she saw, was set up almost like a hospital, full of white linens and beeping machines. Lily hurried past that door. The next room was even more peculiar than the first. It was completely white, with a single red rose on the floor, and a note attached to it. Lily's mind itched to read the note, but her feet continued to walk, and she knew she had not yet reached her destination._

_Finally, at the end of the hall was a large blank room. Like the others, this room was completely white, save for a single blond headed figure near the corner. Lily squinted her eyes, trying to make out the person._

"_Finn?" she asked hesitantly. Her voice echoed across the white walls, eerily. The figure turned around, and sure enough, it was Finn Odair standing before her. Unintentionally, Lily felt herself suck in her breath. He was beautiful, a mirror image of his father. Lily had always thought that something so perfect must be so breakable._

"_Lily?" Finn said, disbelief coating his voice._

"_What are you doing here? This is a dream." Lily questioned. Finn smirked a brilliant smile._

"_So what you're saying is you dream about me, Lily?" _

"_In your dreams, Odair." Lily sassed back, trying to keep her tone neutral, though she felt herself blush slightly._

"_That would make sense, since I thought I was dreaming too." Finn seemed to contemplate something before asking, "Does this place seem familiar to you?" Lily, taken aback took a moment to respond._

"_Yes, though normally I'm here with someone else." Finn looked at her curiously, but instead only mumbled, "Me too." Even though her heart and mind told her not too pry, the words spilled out of Lily's mouth._

"_Who do you normally come here with?" Finn smiled again, though this time his eyes were full of sadness, like he was remembering a fond memory of someone who had died._

"_If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."_

"_Try me."_

"_Okay," Finn began, "Normally I come here with my father. He leads me down a hallway to a room and shows me something, or we just talk. I've never been here with anyone but him. This place, well, it contains my only memories with him. Without him here, I sort of feel out of place." Lily nodded, and sauntered over to Finn. He welcomed her into his arms, and suddenly Lily felt like she wasn't quite so alone here._

"_Ahem," came a meek voice from the doorway. Lily and Finn broke apart and turned to the entrance, only to find an average height blonde woman, and a tall blonde man standing in the doorway. "Not to ruin the moment, but this is sort of important." The blonde girl said. Lily and Finn locked gazes, before walking over to the other two people. _

"_You both have seen a lot of this place, learned it's secrets, explored it's many rooms, even created memories, but that isn't why we brought you here tonight." The man's voice was deep like the ocean, and Lily gaped at the resemblance between him and Finn. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought they were practically twins._

"_A war is coming," the blonde woman continued, "One that will effect Panem as we know it. It will be a war for freedom, though not from who you'd expect."_

"_We need you two, now more than ever, to give us your allegiance, to follow us wherever we may lead you, knowing that we would never intentionally put you in harm's way." The male blonde looked them both in the eyes. "Can you tell me honestly that you can do that?"_

"_Yes," Finn replied immediately. "I would follow you anywhere, Dad." It was as if a light bulb had gone off in Lily's head. Of course, this was Finnick Odair, Finn's father. _

"_And you, Lily," the girl asked, "Can you promise?" Lily considered this for a moment. Promises were not just some words you threw around, not to Lily. If she was going to agree, she had to be one hundred and fifty percent sure this was the right thing to do. Lily looked into the blue eyes gazing back at her, at the blonde curls that coiled around the female's arms. She had always vaguely reminded Lily of her mother, Katniss, and Lily felt drawn to her. This was the woman who had taught her how to breathe underwater, how to heal someone who was hurt, and how to love those who seemed despicable. She could trust her, couldn't she?_

"_I agree," Lily said, surprising herself with the amount of confidence in her voice. "I know you will take me down the right path." The two adults looked at one another and smiled a knowing smile._

"_We do not know exactly what lies ahead, though you two will play a big part in it." Finnick began._

"_You both should know that we are so proud of you, that everything you've done has surpassed our expectations. The road ahead is a hard and long one, but we know that you won't let us down." Lily looked at the woman, and decided to run and give her a hug. Finn followed her lead; giving Finnick a hug only a son and father could share. _

"_Not to intrude or anything, but who exactly are you?" Finn inquired, nodding his head in the blonde females direction. She smiled wistfully. _

"_I'm Rose, though once I went by another name." _


	2. Link In A Chain

**Hi guys!**

**It's me again. It seemed unfair to only post a prologue, so I decided to post the first chapter tonight too. I decided that with this story I was going to make all the chapter titles a song title, since whenever I write I normally have a song stuck in my head inspiring me. This time, it was a song by Missy Higgins (if you haven't heard of her, I recommend looking her up because she is amazing!) called Link In A Chain. Particularly, the lines "By now you're a link in, the chain. But it's up to you, to break". Check out the whole song because it relates a lot to this chapter. As always, sorry for errors (in grammar, facts, etc) and I hope you like this chapter! Without further ado, chapter 1!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to the Hunger Games, it all belongs to Suzanne Collins. I also do not own anything belonging to Missy Higgins.**

Lily could not imagine a time when she'd been more furious with her brother.

"You're just mad because Mom and Dad don't trust you enough to tell you the truth yet." Somehow, Lily thought, Zac always knew which buttons to press. "Oh, and that's right, the boyfriend you didn't even like cheated on you with the girl you call your best friend, even though you just find her more bearable than the other Victor snobs at school. And why did he cheat on you? That's right, because you wouldn't do anything with him, and she would. Yes, that was the story, wasn't it sister dear?" Zac taunted. Lily threw a pillow at him and shouted, "Quit it!" But Zac wasn't quite done yet. "A straight A student, too busy to have a real life, and still you're on the same level as me in this family." Lily gritted her teeth, but remained silent. Zac catching her look snickered and continued. "You know, I don't think Finn likes girls who shout at their brothers and have tantrums like little girls."

That was the last straw. Lily, who normally was a very calm and composed person, pounced off her bed, landing gracefully in front of Zac.

"ZACHARY AUSTIN MELLARK—"

"It's ZAM to you—" He interrupted.

"OUT!" She shouted. Smirking like a fool, he sauntered out the door. Even after the door closed, she could hear him laughing. He had come into her room with the mission to torment her, and she had let him. With a sigh, Lily flopped back onto her bed and reached for her picture album, the one that always seemed to calm her down. She'd stolen it from an old drawer in her parent's room when she was little, and ever since then she'd read it when the world seemed too cruel to face, which just so happened to be very often. It was an album full of old and new faces, some who she didn't even know. The pictures seemed to be drawn by hand, and she could only assume it was her father and mother who had made it.

Lily flipped past the first page because it was torn out. She used to wonder who it was, pondering on whether or not they were an exotic hero or a simple citizen like herself, but today she was more concerned about the comforting faces in the book. She turned to the second page, seeing a younger version of Johanna Mason, smiling back at the camera. There was a description about her, mentioning her as a victor of the Hunger Games, and lower on the page an added scribble about her marrying Gale Hawthorne. She scanned the next page and found Gale, her sort of uncle. He looked so happy, and his profile spoke of many things that Lily didn't know. Of course she knew her parents and their friends had been in either the Hunger Games or part of the Rebellion, but she didn't know much about their past.

Kids at the District 12 school used to tease her about her parents, and Lily's ability with a bow. Girls weren't supposed to like archery, rather they should like making dresses and gymnastics. Of course, Lily's parents had taught Lily many traits, including gymnastic, but Lily had always felt a calling for archery and singing. Still, when no one wanted to be your friend because you were a freak, you learned to adapt.

Eventually, she'd transferred to the Victors children's school, because the bullying had become too rough. There were about four schools, one for every three districts. She went to the school located in District 11, which had students from Districts 10, 11, and 12. It would have included 13, but there weren't any Victors from there. In her class there were only about 5 kids, but she didn't mind. Anything was better than the hell she had come from. Besides, these were kids she could connect to on some level, all were Victor's children like her, and all had been bullied for it. Lily didn't have many close friends at her school, at least not anymore, so she enveloped herself in her studies. She once had had somewhat of a life, but that seemed like years ago even though it had only been about a week ago. Lily had been friends with a girl because she didn't mind spending time with her, and then she had met a boy who she had found attractive and even fun to talk to. Inevitably, she and the boy started dating, and for a moment, Lily seemed to have found a place. But, she knew it was too good to be true, so when she'd found out that her sort-of-best friend had hooked up with her boyfriend, she hadn't been surprised. She was almost relieved, because she'd hated the pressure he'd put on her, always asking to kiss her, and even at 16, Lily didn't want to kiss him. So, he'd gone to someone who would kiss him, and Lily couldn't blame him. She might have done the same thing. Yet, even though Lily made it seem like she didn't mind, she did.

By now, she had reached the page with Finn on it, and she felt her heart skip a beat. It was a much younger version of him, he couldn't have been more than three or four in the picture, but still her heart melted when she saw him. Finn was one of the only lights in her otherwise boring and dreary life. She visited him in District 4 often, and every time they were together she was happy. Lily knew he didn't know she'd had a crush on him since she was 12, and Lily wasn't about to tell him. No, telling him wouldn't make a difference. Besides, Finn would probably only ever think of her as his best friend, since they'd been together practically since birth.

They'd done so many things together. When they were younger, Lily often spent nights over at the Odair's house, reading late with Finn beside her in his bed. One time, when they were little, they had built a fort of pillows and made a sign that read, "No Zac allowed." Lily was particularly fond of that memory.

Right before high school, he'd been over at her house for a sleepover. Although Finn was a year older than Lily, the curriculum in District 4 differed from her Victor's school, so his 10th grade year of school had been his first year of high school. Lily often wondered when Finn would deem them too old to have sleepovers and sleep in the same bed, but for now she was just happy for his company. Before they'd gone to bed, they'd been discussing their fears and dreams for the next few years.

"I'm not afraid of anything." Finn had said with a wink at her.

"Really, nothing at all?" She'd asked as she'd flipped the switch on the lamp, dimming the room. He'd crawled closer to her on her bed, so he was sitting crossed legged across from her.

"Well, one thing." Finn had admitted his blonde locks looking as disheveled as ever.

"And what's that?"

"I'm afraid that my first kiss will be with someone I don't really love. I'm afraid that I'll give away a part of me that I can never get back to someone who doesn't really deserve it." Lily had looked at him sheepishly, and meekly whispered, "Me too." His eyes had softened, and then lit up as an idea came to him.

"How about this, we both make sure that the first person to kiss each of us is someone who loves us." Lily had looked down at her hands clasped in her lap, and felt her heart drop; knowing that the only person that could make that happen was Finn. And here he was, telling her to go and do it, when she knew she'd never have the courage to risk their friendship. And suddenly, she'd felt his hand on her chin, lifting it up to look at her. She'd looked back at him curiously; as he'd bent down to kiss her, her night-light casting shadows of them on the wall. She could still remember the feeling of his lips brushing against hers, the spark that had gone off inside her. Lily had known then, with absolute certainty, that she loved Finn, and still to this day she knew it was true. And then, just like that, he'd pulled away, flashed her a prize-winning smile, and asked, "Now, was that so bad?"

A knock on her door brought Lily out of her reverie, and Lily quickly shoved the book under her bed.

"Come in," she called. The doorknob turned, and a very little and frail figure slipped into the room.

"Mommy and Daddy said you could come downstairs now." Riley spoke meekly. Lily's frame softened, and she reach down to pick up her little sister. Lily could still remember when her parents had told her and Zac that they were pregnant with another baby. Lily had been about 10, and starting to learn about the reproductive system in school. At the time, it was not her favorite thing to think about how a baby had gotten inside of her mother. Absentmindedly, a memory came back to Lily.

"I think we should name it Daisy," her dad had announced. They had all looked at Peeta strangely, and he'd continued, "Because she was an oopsy-daisy." Her mother had turned bright red, while Zac and her dad had burst out laughing, and Lily had been mortified. Now, looking at Riley, she felt a need to protect this six-year-old from the world. She followed behind Riley into the kitchen, watching as Riley's red curls bounced as she walked.

"Glad you could join us." Her mother said, smiling as Lily and Riley took their respective places at the table.

"So, as you all know, we've been having more meetings lately." Peeta stated.

"That's an understatement," interrupted Zac. Everyone stared at him. "What, I'm just saying."

"Anyways, " continued Katniss. "We've heard some…stuff about the…stuff we've been working on, big stuff, really important stuff, and—"

"Such as…" Lily cut in. Peeta exchanged a glance with Katniss, who shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but no, not yet, not until—"

"Oh come on, Mom. I'm old enough. I'll be 16 next week. I think I can handle whatever this is." Her mother looked uneasy, as if maybe considering, so Lily pushed on. "Maybe I can help. I've been having dreams again, and—"

"You've been having the dreams again?" Katniss asked, astonished.

"Yeah, it's not important. As I was saying, I'm assuming this is about that Prim girl again—"

"She wasn't just some girl, don't talk about her like that—" Katniss intervened.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Look, I'm old enough let me help! I could be useful—"

"No."

"But—"

"I said, no."

"I could—"

"NO! Lily, give it a rest, the answer is no!" Lily felt herself stiffen as though she had been slapped straight across the face. Everyone was silent, and then Riley began to cry, Katniss's shoulders sunk, and Peeta moved to comfort her. Lily was silent. She couldn't think of the last time her mother had lashed out at her, couldn't even think of a time when this had happen. Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she willed herself not to cry. Not in here, not in front of Zac.

"I…I think I'll excuse myself." Lily's voice wavered as she spoke. No one responded, and Lily left the table hurriedly.

* * *

After Lily had fled the table, Katniss continued to stare down at her hands. She felt ashamed of herself, yelling at her child, and couldn't help but think that she was being a horrible mother.

"Zac, I think you should go put Riley to bed." Peeta ordered. Zac, who normally put up a fight or added a sarcastic comment, stood up and walked Riley out of the room. Once they were gone, Katniss allowed the tears to come, tears she hadn't cried in years.

"She's ready, you know." Peeta whispered as he sat down beside her in Lily's vacant spot.

"Ready to know what? Ready to know that the girl she dreams about is my little sister, the one who I couldn't protect? Or ready to know that Madge suddenly remembers everything about where she was nearly 16 years ago." Instead of answering her question, Peeta only responded, "She's ready." Katniss sighed, and ran her fingers through her curly hair.

"What do we do, Peeta?" She asked in a mumbled tone.

"The real question is, is it Lily who's not ready, or you?" Katniss let out a weak laugh, and laid her head upon Peeta's shoulders.

"I don't know, I feel like I don't know anything anymore." She admitted.

"How about we compromise. We send them to Annie's for a week, after all she was going to spend her birthday there, and then afterwards we tell her everything."

"And during that week, you'll stay with me while we learn more about Prim?"

"Always." They held each other's eyes for a moment, Katniss's glittering with the remnants of tears. She reached out and hugged Peeta, holding him close.

"Let me talk to her, though. I have a feeling I can make her see reason." Peeta suggested. Katniss nodded her head against Peeta's shoulders. They held each other for one more second before Peeta stood up, grabbed some freshly baked cheese buns, a tin of homemade ice cream, two spoons, and disappeared upstairs.

* * *

Lily didn't feel like being alone, but it seemed like the only ones who would understand her were Finn and herself. She'd vetoed the idea of calling Finn, which left the only other option as herself.

It wasn't fair that her parents didn't trust her. Surely once when they'd been her age, they had embarked on treacherous battles and done more than sit around looking at old photos. She was tired of waiting on the sideline, watching as the world unfolded around her. Why couldn't they understand that she was capable, that she needed to do something to prove her worth? Why couldn't they see that she was tired of just being the daughter of great people, that she wanted to be seen as great too?

"Knock, knock, knock," Peeta sang as he opened the door slightly. "Mind if I come in." Lily remained silent, but walked over to the door. She stared at her father, looking into the blue eyes they both shared, making no move to open the door further. Peeta, seeing that he was going nowhere, decided it was time to bring out the big guns.

"I brought reinforcements." Lily peeked behind the door and saw the side of a cheese bun along with two spoons, and briskly opened the door.

"The way to a girl's heart is always through her stomach." Peeta mumbled as he walked into the room.

"I'm pretty sure the saying is the way to a _man's_ heart is through his stomach." Lily pointed out.

"Same thing." Together, they perched themselves on her bed.

"So, did Mom send you, because I'd really rather not talk about what just happened."

"Yes and no. Mom did sort of send me, but I'm mostly here on my own account, and to tell you that we've decided to send you out into the world for a week in order to fight dragons, with only this cheese bun as your weapon. You have been chosen Lily Mellark. Do not let us down."

"Ha, ha, very funny." Lily grinned while plucking the cheese bun from his grip and taking a triumphant bite. "Now what's really going on next week?"

"We're sending you to the Odair's while things around here get sorted out. When you come back, then we'll discuss how much you get to know."

"Okay, fair enough."

"There's a catch," Peeta said, scratching the back of his head. "Zac and Arianna, Gale and Johanna's daughter, are coming with you." Lily paused, contemplating the idea.

"On second thought I'll take the dragon and cheese bun, please."

"Now hold on a second. It won't be so bad. You were planning on heading over there for your birthday anyways. Now you'll get to see Finn for a whole week, maybe hang out with him, get a little one-on-one—"

"Yeah, but Zac will be there. I mean he's practically made it his life mission to make sure I'm always a damsel in distress. Zac thrives off of vexation and sarcasm." Lily took another bite of her cheese bun, though it tasted sort of dry now, so she reached for the ice cream instead.

"Lily, it's only a week." Peeta replied while opening the ice cream and bringing a heaping spoon to his mouth.

"A lot can happen in a week." Lily countered.

"Fair point, but nothing can happen too."

"Touché."

"I know this isn't exactly how you planned to spend your birthday, but you're a Mellark. You learn to move with the tide, wherever it may take you." Lily let out a sigh of defeat.

"Okay, fine. I'll go for a week, but just remember how unhappy I probably am while you and Mom get to do all the detective work."

"That's my girl. Always a trooper." Peeta leaned in to give her a hug, and she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I'm really starting to wish for that dragon."

* * *

"And you're sure you packed everything." Katniss asked as her children began to board the train. It wasn't as if this was Lily or Zac's first train ride alone, they had journeyed to the Odair's by themselves plenty of times, but still every time they left felt like the first. Lily knew her mother wasn't trying to be overprotective; she was just horrible with goodbyes. Goodbye was a taboo word for her mother, though Lily couldn't understand why. Admittedly, she wasn't too fond of the word, but Lily couldn't imagine watching someone leave without saying goodbye.

"Yes, I've double checked our suitcases, you've double checked our suitcases, I'm pretty sure if we'd forgotten something I would know." Lily replied, trying to keep the coldness out of her voice. She wasn't exactly angry with her mother anymore, but Lily still felt the sting of her words like a bruise on her skin. Katniss gave Lily and Zac a worried look before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a velvet drawstring bag.

"I know this might be silly, and you don't have to wear it if you don't want to, but I would feel better if you did." Katniss said as she pulled a gleaming gold pin from the bag. Lily looked at it curiously; unsure what shape the pin was in.

"It's a Mockinjay," Katniss explained. "I wore one in the Hunger Games and during the Rebellion. I thought, if I can't explain this to you yet, at least you'll have this to know I will."

"Is it, is it yours?" Lily whispered. Katniss shook her head.

"No, mine is tucked away." Lily ducked her head, trying to hide her disappointment. "Hey, even if it isn't mine, it represents the same thing."

"And what's that?" Lily asked as Katniss unpinned the pin.

"Bravery, courage, strength, family, and so much more. It represents whatever you want it to. I made my mark with it, now it's your turn. This pin hasn't been through anything yet, it will hold all of your adventures, whatever they may be." Katniss said as she fastened the pin to Lily's shirt. "When you wear it, wear it proudly." Lily nodded, and let her mother kiss her on the cheek one more time before running to board the train. Once seated comfortably next to Zac, she looked back at the window, and saw her mom and dad smiling and waving back at her. She smiled at them as the train began to move, and suddenly they were gone.

"Goodbye," Lily whispered, clutching the Mockingjay pin tightly.


	3. Somebody's Heartbreak

**Hi Guys!**

**So normally I take a lot longer before I post again, but I didn't want to just leave you all hanging, so I decided to post the next chapter. I"ll probably post chapter 3 in a week or so. School's always crazy and unpredictable, so you never know. Anyways, thanks for all the love I've received from this story. You guys are all the best, most loyal readers I could ever have asked for. I can't take all the credit though, because I have one of my international friends Beta-reading this story. I decided that at the end of every author's note I'll just post the lyrics to the song title/chapter title that inspired me as I wrote. Feel free to interpret freely. As always, sorry for typos, poor grammar, and anything else I do wrong. Reviews are a wonderful and beautiful thing, that always motivate me to post faster, so if you have something to say, review or PM me. And now...chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to the Hunger Games. It is all Suzanne Collins. I also do not own the lyrics or song by Hunter Hayes.**

**"If you're gonna be somebody's heartbreak,  
If you're gonna be somebody's mistake,  
If you're gonna be somebody's first time,  
Somebody's last time, baby be mine.  
If you're lookin' to be somebody's 'just friends',  
A little laughin', little lovin', never callin' again, that's just fine  
If you're gonna be somebody's heartbreak  
Be mine." -Hunter Hayes (from Somebody's Heartbreak)  
**

"Are you going to stare out that window the whole ride?" Zac asked Lily impatiently. She rolled her eyes, finally taking them off the window.

"Don't you have someone better to annoy?" Lily responded tiredly.

"Well, Arianna is sleeping in the next compartment, and the rest of the train is full of strangers, so no, actually, I don't." Lily huffed a sigh of annoyance from her thoughts being disrupted. Admittedly, she'd been thinking about Finn, about what she'd say to him when she saw him. They hadn't seen each other in months, and Lily wondered if things would be awkward between them because of it. Since they'd last been together, Lily had dated someone, been cheated on, and had her heartbroken. Certainly, that would come up in their conversations. Lily wondered what he'd been up to romantically lately. Secretly, she hoped he'd been with no one, even though Lily knew that was unlikely. Finn was charming and beautiful; any girl who didn't fall for him was crazy. Besides, she'd heard rumors swirling around her school about Finn being with a girl named Olivia. What chance did Lily have of sweeping in and being with him if he already liked someone else?

"You won't know unless you try." Zac commented, casting Lily out of her daydream.

"What?" she inquired quizzically.

"You were thinking about Finn." He responded matter-of-factly.

"No I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. I know because you got that look in your eyes, that one of hopeless longing." Zac said. Lily looked at him, really looked at him. He was starting to grow out of the awkward tween stage. He was probably a few inches taller than her, maybe five eight or nine. His face had lost most of its baby fat, and Lily saw a lot of her father in his looks; except for his eyes that were gray like their mothers. As she stared at him, his eyes softened.

"I didn't mean it like that—" he began, but Lily held up her hand.

"It doesn't matter anyways." Zac looked at her sadly, but nodded his head.

"All I'm saying is that if I liked someone, I would want them to tell me how they feel, instead of me grappling for answers."

"You really think I should tell him?" Lily asked earnestly.

"I think you'll regret it if you don't."

* * *

Because it was an unexpected visit, Finn was still at school when their train arrived in District 4. Annie offered to bring them home, but since Finn's school was on the way they decided to surprise Finn. Lily had visited Finn's school once or twice, but still navigating it was like walking through a labyrinth. Somehow, she managed to locate his locker, only to find it empty. She'd asked a couple of students if they'd seen him, and they all said they'd seen him by the gym and locker rooms. Lily searched the halls for Finn as she walked towards the gym area, wondering if she should tell him how she felt. Over and over she'd been pondering this question, and although she thought she'd made up her mind, she wasn't sure she could go through with it.

Finally, she'd heard his voice in the distance and knew he was close. Her heart began to speed up as she raced to find him before she lost her nerve. If she was going to do this, she needed to do it now. Lily neared the hallway, and peeked around the corner. There he was, leaning against the wall casually. He blonde hair reflected the light, bringing out the blue in his eyes. Lily glanced at him, aching to go and talk to him, but she froze when she saw a girl standing across from him. She had dirty blonde hair that was unnaturally curled at the bottom, and dark brown eyes. Lily looked down at herself, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, her light brown curly hair cascading down her shoulders. The only thing interesting about herself was her blue eyes. No, Lily couldn't even dream of comparing to this girl.

"Finn," the girl said as she took his hand. "I'm really glad you came to talk to me." Lily felt the tears at the back of her eyes as she began to comprehend the situation, and cursed herself silently for being so stupid.

"Of course, Olivia. I'm always here if you need to talk. I've loved getting to know you—" Finn began.

"I've loved getting to know you too." Olivia cut Finn off. Lily didn't want to hear anymore. She knew she was trespassing on a private moment, and she couldn't bear to watch as her own heart broke before her eyes. As she turned to leave, she slipped, and fell flat on her face, startling Finn and Olivia, just as Olivia started to say, "Do you want to go out sometime?"

* * *

"Lily?" Finn asked, astonished.

"I…I…I" Lily tried to say something. Carefully, she stood up and brushed herself off, searching for her dignity. "I didn't mean to intrude, I'll leave you alone, I'm sorry…" Lily muttered hastily while backing up and trying to make an escape before embarrassing herself further.

"No, no," Finn proclaimed as he dropped Olivia's hand. "I was just leaving anyways. Olivia, I'm sorry, is it okay if we put this conversation on hold until later?" Olivia looked flabbergasted, and slightly angered, though she hid it well and kept her mouth shut. Lily looked back and forth between the two, trying not to make eye contact with Olivia. When she finally met eyes with Finn, she almost thought he looked at her pleadingly.

"Of course, Finn. Whatever you need. I'm here whenever you need me." Olivia replied. Lily couldn't help but think that of course the girl who liked Finn had to be sweet and adorable. It was like she was made just for Finn.

"Thanks for understanding." Finn responded, apologetically. "To the exit?" He asked Lily. Reluctantly, she nodded her head and allowed Finn to lead her down the hall back to the others, leaving behind Olivia.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked her once they were almost outside.

"Mom and Dad kicked us out, something about the usual stuff." Lily replied, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice. Finn, stiffened for a moment, and then just nodded.

"You didn't have to do that, you know." Lily continued. Finn looked at her curiously.

"Do what?"

"Come with me. If you were enjoying yourself or wanted to be alone, I could have found my way back by myself."

"I can see Olivia whenever I want," Finn replied. "But you only come around once in a while." Lily felt her face blush, but didn't let herself hope. She already had her suspicions confirmed; he didn't like her that way, and wishful thinking would get her nowhere.

"Yeah, whenever you want." Lily mumbled under her breath so quietly only she could hear. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

"Here we are." Finn announced as they exited the school and met with Annie, Zac, and Arianna. Lily quickly caught Zac's questioning eye, and shook her head sadly. He gave her a small nod, before looking at Finn and smiling brightly. They hugged each other and exchanged a few words. Next Arianna and Finn welcomed each other, and then they all traveled back to the Odair's house.

At dinner, Lily hesitantly sat beside Finn. She didn't know what to say, so she faked smiles and laughs, even though she felt lost inside. He didn't like her; he liked someone else. Lily thought she hid it well, because no one mentioned it, but she couldn't help but think that everyone but Finn knew what she was going through. Absentmindedly, she pushed her food around the plate as the conversation continued around her.

"So, how have your parents been doing?" Annie asked. Lily looked up at Zac and Arianna, seeing who would answer the question.

"Well," Arianna began, "We don't really know to be honest. Something happened, and suddenly our parents sent us away from all the action." Annie nodded, though wasn't quite done with her questions.

"Do you think it has something to do with Madge?" They looked at each other quizzically.

"Why would it have to do with Madge?" Lily asked.

"If she had remembered something, that would be a big deal. That's the only reason I can think of why your parents would send you all here so urgently." They all looked at Annie, shocked, as she pressed a hand to her mouth, horrified. "I shouldn't have said that. If that's what happened, you weren't supposed to know. You cannot tell a soul, understand?" They all bobbed their heads, stunned.

"Excuse me, I think I'll go make a call." Annie left the table swiftly.

"If we hurry, we can tap in to the call." Arianna exclaimed. They all rushed over to the nearest phone just as they heard Gale answer.

"Gale, what's going on? Has Madge remembered something?" Annie whispered into the phone.

"Shh…quiet Annie. The children might hear you."

"Sorry, I'm just wondering…"

"About Finnick. Maybe, we don't know exactly yet, but it's true, she remembers."

"What does she remember?" Annie asked urgently.

"Everything."

"Everything?" She repeated. "Like Finnick?"

"Annie, don't get ahead of yourself, we don't know for sure or anything—"

"But she mentioned Finnick?" Gale was silent for a moment before responding meekly.

"Yes." Annie sucked in a breath, along with Finn, Lily, Arianna, and Zac whom were listening in on the other line. Finn paled, and Lily squeezed his hand, momentarily forgetting about their encounter earlier.

"Annie, it's not safe to talk here and now. We'll have a conference call at the District 4 governmental building. Meet us there at 8 am tomorrow morning, understand?"

"Yes, I'll be there. Finnick, he might be alive—"

"Annie," Gale said gently, "don't get your hopes up for something that we can't prove."

"It doesn't matter if you can't prove it, I know it."

* * *

After the phone was hung up, Arianna and Zac excused themselves to the rooms they'd be staying in. Boys in Finn's room, girls in the guest room. Lily had wanted to go upstairs too, but knew Finn needed someone to talk to after that phone call.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked, not sure if she was either.

"I don't know. Would you be?" Finn countered. Lily considered his question for a moment.

"No, I wouldn't be. But I also wouldn't sit around and do nothing."

"It's just… a lot to take in."

"Finnick, or Olivia?" Lily questioned. She'd meant to ask if he meant Finnick, but the part about Olivia just sort of slipped out.

"It's complicated," was all Finn said. Lily thought about pressing the subject, but decided against it. Pushing him for answers would only upset them both. They sat together in silence for a few minutes, and Lily considered leaving. Finally, Finn spoke again.

"How's life back in 12?"

"Peachy."

"Is that sarcasm I sense?" Finn replied trying to ease the arisen tension. He smiled, but after seeing the look in Lily's eyes, he stopped smiling.

"To put it simply, the first person I ever dated cheated on me with my only friend, and then on top of that, my parents don't trust me enough to tell me that Madge remembers everything. So yeah, I guess you could say that was sarcasm." Lily snapped back. It felt good to finally let everything go, but at the same time it felt wrong to take her anger out on Finn.

"Lily, I didn't know—"

"Of course you didn't, and I didn't expect you too. It's fine, I'm fine, and everything is perfectly fine." The tears were coming on again, fast this time, and Lily knew she needed an escape route pronto.

"Lily—" Finn sympathized, reaching out for her. She drew away from him sharply.

"Don't," Lily said, flinching. "I think I'm going to go to bed." And with that, Lily promptly left the room, biting her lip as tears began to stream down her face.

* * *

Arianna hadn't really gone to her room when she'd excused herself, but rather to Finn's so she and Zac could talk. They'd been friends since birth, always hanging out with each other, and Arianna had to admit that she didn't think of Zac as her friend. If anything, he was her best friend, and they'd shared so many memories together it was insane. Still, she took every opportunity to be with him and around him, and with all the recently arisen drama, there was plenty to discuss.

"What do you think about Finn and Lily hanging out together alone downstairs?" Zac asked Arianna. She looked at him blankly, surprised that he had recognized the affectionate feelings between the two of them.

"I…um…I think it's wonderful that they're catching up." She glanced at Zac, wondering what he was thinking about. He appeared to be lost in thought.

"I hope he doesn't hurt her." Zac finally responded. Arianna raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure he isn't beating her up with a hammer down there. We'd hear it if he was, you know." Arianna commented. Zac shook his head impatiently.

"I don't mean hurt her like that, I mean hurt her heart." This caught Arianna's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"You saw how she acted after we left school today. I know Lily's good at concealing her emotions, but even I noticed the heartbroken expression she wore."

"You think she likes Finn?" Arianna asked. Of course, she knew the answer, but was curious as to how aware Zac was of the situation.

"Of course she does, and she confirmed it on the train today while you were asleep." Arianna nodded again.

"Why do you care what happens between them?"

"Because she's my sister, and no matter how much I want to punch her sometimes, I also want her to be okay. She deserves better than what she got, what with being cheated on and all. I want to make sure that she doesn't get hurt like that again." Arianna smiled at him grimly.

"And you think that whatever happened at his school today didn't already break her heart?" She asked hesitantly.

"I think whatever happened at school today was a mistake."

"And why is that?"

"Because I can see the way he looks at her when she's not looking, and I can see the way she looks at him when he's not looking. They're both so blind to each other, it's astounding." Arianna let out a light laugh.

"So you think they'll end up together?"

"I think if they don't, then they'll both be very unhappy."

"Do you think Finn's unhappy about the news about Finnick?" Arianna inquired.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling they're either planning something downstairs, or going to plan something soon."

"Planning to…?"

"To search for him." Zac remarked.

"And if they do go looking…?" Arianna questioned, letting her question hang in the air.

"Then we go too." He'd announced with a remarkable amount of confidence. Arianna smiled excitedly; she'd always wanted to go on an adventure.

They'd wished each other goodnight, and Arianna had crept back to her room across the hall. She put on her matching polka dot fuzzy pajamas and finished getting ready for bed in silence. Arianna wondered where Finn and Lily were, but assumed that the longer it took them to come upstairs, the better. Even so, there was only so much to talk about.

Arianna crawled into the king size bed by herself, shutting off all but a small light in the corner so Lily could see when she finally came upstairs. Alone in the dark, Arianna thought about many things. She thought about what Zac had said, about how two people who were right for each other would eventually find a way to be together. She wondered if she was at all like Lily. Did she like Zac the way Lily liked Finn? Or maybe she was wrong, maybe she didn't really like Zac, and this was what it felt like to love someone like a best friend. She'd never liked anyone romantically before, and perhaps she'd gotten it all wrong. Either way, she was happy to have him there for her.

As Arianna began to doze off, Lily suddenly came into the room. Arianna could hear her whimpering; a sound Arianna had grown accustomed to from hearing her mother through the wall at night. Arianna considered comforting Lily, but from the way she sounded, Arianna decided that Lily probably only wanted privacy, and feigning sleep would be better. Through slitted eyes, Arianna watched Lily put on a rosy long sleeve nightgown, and saunter into the bathroom. Presumably, Lily was brushing her teeth and preparing for bed, maybe even drying her eyes. When she finally emerged from the bathroom, Lily turned off the light and crawled into the opposite side of the bed slowly, leaving a vast distance between the two girls. Arianna allowed herself to fall into sleep, as Lily's whimpers turned into sobs. Again, she deliberated on whether or not she should console Lily, but fatigue got the best of her. Arianna fell asleep to the sound of Lily's heartbroken sobs, and couldn't help but think she could hear Finn crying through the door too.

**A/N: I promise that things will be happier next chapter!**


	4. Everything Has Changed

**Hi Guys!**

**First, can I just say, thank you for all of your awesome support. It's always really difficult to get a story off the ground, but all of your support has eased that burden. I left you guys with a bit of a sad ending last chapter, but, as promised, this chapter is much happier; at least in my opinion. I might not be able to post for a while, but I promise that I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. As always, sorry for grammar and other errors I may have made while writing this chapter. Reviews are always welcome and highly encouraged, but they fuel me to write faster. Thanks to my awesome international Beta-Reader. If you don't know this about me, then you're about to learn that I love Taylor Swift, so this chapter (along with many others soon to come) was inspired by one of her songs.**

**"All I know is we said, "Hello."  
And your eyes look like coming home  
All I know is a simple name  
Everything has changed  
All I know is you held the door  
You'll be mine and I'll be yours  
All I know since yesterday is everything has changed" (Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran)  
**

**And now...CHAPTER 3!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to the Hungers Games because that is the work of Suzanne Collins. I also do not own anything belonging to Taylor Swift.**

_Again, Lily walked along an endless white corridor, wondering where Rose was and if she would encounter Finn in her dream tonight. After a short walk, she found Rose in an empty room sitting on the ground._

"_Care to join me?" She asked Lily. In response, Lily sat down beside her. She waited patiently for Rose to start telling her about something, but Rose made no move to speak. Catching Lily's quizzical glance, Rose cocked an eyebrow as if to say just wait and see. Moments later Finn and Finnick entered. Lily suppressed her gasp of shock._

"_What do you know of your parents, Lily?" Rose inquired finally._

"_Um…they were in the Hunger Games twice, and they took part in the rebellion and then they married and had me." Lily responded, unsure what else there was to say._

"_Ah, but that's only the base layer. Do you know how your parents both survived the same Hunger Games?" _

"_They were in love, and the Capitol couldn't kill them because of it." Lily recited. She'd heard those words repeated frequently. Finnick and Rose shared an amused look._

"_Not exactly," Finnick intervened. "You're parents did act in love, though at the time it was more of a one-sided relationship."_

"_You mean my parents faked being in love?" Lily said, wide-eyed._

"_Well, Peeta didn't, but yes Katniss did. Though how much was actually fake is debatable. They acted in love and received the Capitol's love. But the Capitol didn't spare them both because they were in love, no the Capitol doesn't care about love. They were spared because Katniss threatened to kill both her and Peeta with Nightlock berries in an act of true love. The Hunger Games needed a victor, and in order to prevent chaos, the Capitol crowned both of your parents victors." Rose explained._

"_How does this relate to us?" Finn interjected. Finnick gave him a curious look, as though he were trying to telepathically give him the answer._

"_Not all stories need to have a purpose." Rose answered._

"_It's up to you to decide whether or not it has a purpose, and what that purpose is." Finnick continued. _

"_Stories remind us of our past, and help us in the future." Rose added thoughtfully._

"_You'll figure out how it's important, you two always do." Finnick finished, giving them a grim smile. Lily looked at Finn, trying to catch his eye, but he seemed to be lost in thought. With a sigh of defeat, Lily glanced toward Rose, and the dream dissolved._

* * *

Panting, Lily woke with a start. The room was dark, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust. For a second, Lily forgot where she was, and was confused to see caramel straight hair beside, until she realized it was Arianna. Quietly, Lily squeezed out of bed and scampered down the hall, heading towards the kitchen.

She fixed herself a cup of hot tea, and absentmindedly sauntered over to the couch. To her surprise, Finn sat on the couch hunched over a book, apparently not having heard her come downstairs. Lily planted herself beside him, and only then did he acknowledge her presence.

"Couldn't sleep?" Finn asked.

"How could you tell, the cup of tea or the pajamas."

"Both, and I just know you. I can tell when you're feeling restless." Lily looked down at her cup of tea, suddenly tasting cold, as the memory of their earlier encounter began to cloud her memory. Quickly, she pushed the bitter thoughts away.

"What about you?" she inquired.

"Same. I had a weird dream, and I was trying to figure it out." Finn replied. Lily choked slightly on her tea. Could they have had the same dream?

"Was it about the 74th Hunger Games and my parents?" Lily saw the recognition in his eyes, and continued. "And Finnick and Rose were there?"

"Okay, now I'm freaked out a little bit."

"So all those past dreams I've had with Rose, you've had with Finnick?" Lily was hesitant about mentioning Finnick. He was a sensitive topic in this house. Surprisingly, Finn only nodded.

"Do you think we're really supposed to do what they ask of us?" Lily inquired genuinely.

" I don't think they would be going to these lengths if they weren't serious." Finn pointed out.

"How are we supposed to save them and whoever else is with them?" Lily said worriedly. Finn smiled and reached out for her shoulder.

"We'll figure it out, we always do." She pulled away from his outreached hand, and Finn sighed exhaustedly.

"Lily, about earlier today—" He paused, waiting for her to interrupt or say something, and instead she just looked at him with her big blue eyes. "I didn't mean for my problems to overshadow yours. I didn't realize you've been through so much in the past few months, and I didn't mean to insult you. I really am sorry." Lily took a moment, collecting her thoughts, before responding.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have barged in on you and Olivia—"

"'Wait, you're sorry for that?"

"Yes, it was wrong of me to impinge on you two—"

"Are you kidding, Lily?" He asked, genuinely confused.

"No I'm not kidding!" Lily replied. "I'm trying to apologize for this Finn, it's not a joke." Finn burst out laughing, and Lily had to hold her temper. It was bad enough that she had lashed out at Finn once today, and she didn't want to make it twice.

"Lily, you saved me."

"Saved you?"

"Olivia and I are just friends."

"Someone should tell her then." Lily mentioned.

"My friends and her friends think we'd be absolutely 'perfect together,'" Finn sarcastically said using air quotes, "But I've told them, I've told her, I've told everyone that I don't want to be anything more than friends with her right now. Sure, she's sweet, beautiful, smart, and a bunch of other great qualities, but I don't think I want that kind of relationship right now." Lily looked at Finn, shocked. It was almost too good to be true; he didn't like Olivia. In fact, he didn't care for Olivia like that at all. He was happy that she had interrupted them.

"So you're not mad?" Lily asked.

"Mad? How could I ever be mad at you, Lil?" Finn questioned, extending his arm around her shoulder. Lily laid her head against his chest, letting all her inhibitions go, drinking the moment in.

"I've missed you." Finn admitted, gently stroking her shoulder.

"Me too." She whispered back. Her eyes had begun to feel heavy again, though Lily fought her exhaustion because she wanted to enjoy this moment with Finn.

"We could find them." Lily commented, closing her eyes. "I know we could do it together. And with them guiding us, we could do it for sure. Anyways, I think I figured out what they were trying to tell us with the story."

"And what's that?" Finn asked as he traced lazy circles on her shoulder.

"They kept mentioning the Capitol, and how the Capitol controls everything. I think they're in the Capitol, Finn."

"We should go to the Capitol then." Finn responded.

"Yeah, we should. We could leave tomorrow."

"The Capitol is a big place, Lily. We'd need to figure out an excuse, and spend all our time trying to find them, and—" Finn broke off as he suddenly felt Lily becoming heavier on his shoulder. "And, you're asleep." He finished, smiling. Gently, he cradled Lily in his arms, and lifted her. In half consciousness, Lily felt Finn carry her up the stairs, and gently open a door; presumably to her and Arianna's room. He placed her carefully on the bed, pulled the covers over her, and tucked her in.

"Sleep tight, Lil." Finn whispered. He kissed her head, and left the room silently, leaving Lily with one thought running through her head: _Please don't let this be a dream. _

* * *

For the rest of the night, Lily slept pretty soundly, a dreamless sleep. When she finally did awaken, it was to rays of sunshine peeking out from under the curtain. Rolling over, she saw it was around 7:00 am. With a sigh, Lily crawled out of bed and crept into the boy's room.

As she shut the door silently, she tried to maneuver herself through the dark. Two silhouettes lay on the bed, both about the same height. Lily was about 88% sure she was waking up the right boy.

"Mm…hmmm?" The sleepy figure asked as Lily tried to shake Finn awake.

"Finn, it's me." She whispered, trying not to startle him.

"Mommy, I told you, I don't need you to wake me up anymore." Finn responded lazily, still sleeping. Clearly this was going to be more difficult than Lily had intended.

"Finn…" Lily insisted a little louder.

"No, no, no, you listen to me. My rubber duck has gone missing, and…"

"Really Finn? You sleep talk about rubber ducks? It's not important Finn!" Lily murmured harshly.

"Ex-cuse me, but it is very important! I need that duck! He's the only one that understands me." Finn emphasized adding a bit of sass. Lily exhaled loudly, preparing to attempt her last resort.

"I really didn't want it to come to this…" Lily mumbled as she climbed on top of him, straddling him around the waist. She leaned forward, and shook his shoulders gently and violently. Finn sat up straight, nearly knocking her off of him. Luckily, he reached out and caught her back before she could fall off the bed. Carefully, he pulled her up so they were face to face.

"Lily, what are you doing here?" Finn asked, plainly confused and slightly embarrassed. Realizing that she was quite literally on top of him, and wearing nothing more than a flimsy nightgown, Lily squirmed off of Finn and took a moment to collect herself before responding.

"Um…" Lily began, clearing her throat, which had suddenly gone hoarse, "I needed to talk to you."

"And it couldn't have waited two more hours?" Finn inquired. Lily shook her head and muttered, "It's important."

"Fine. Give me a moment, I'll meet you in the hall."

* * *

A minute or two later, Finn joined Lily in the hallway wearing a blue fuzzy bathrobe that matched his eyes perfectly. They sat across from each other, leaning against the wall.

"So, what was so important that it couldn't have waited until a reasonable hour?" Finn asked suspiciously.

"Keep your voice down." Lily reprimanded. "And what was with the whole rubber duck thing?" Finn paled.

"Sorry, did you actually hear all that?"

"Every word."

"It's a long story, like really long."

"Another time then." Lily announced with finality.

"But seriously, what's up?" Finn asked.

"I've been thinking a lot about what we talked about last night, and I realized that if we want to do this, we have to do it now."

"Now, as in right now?"

"No, well sort of." Lily replied sheepishly. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we find them. I think we should leave today."

"That's crazy, Lily!" She looked at him disappointed. Finn's eyes softened.

"Besides," Finn whispered, "You don't know anything about what you're proposing we do. It's insane; maybe even fatal, you know that right? How do you even know where to begin?" Absentmindedly, Lily closed her eyes. It was true, she thought, she didn't have any idea who she was searching for, other than Finnick and Rose. She barely knew where they were. Heck, she was probably in way over her head. But she did know one thing, something her mother had told her a long time ago: _fire burns brighter in the darkness_. Even if she had no idea where to begin, she knew she could do it.

"You're not going to change your mind, are you?" Finn asked, defeatedly.

"Don't you want to find them? Don't you want to know your father?" Lily pleaded. Finn's eyes glazed over, as though he were recalling a memory.

"If you're going, then you're going to need a tremendously handsome partner by your side." Finn finally responded.

"You're serious?" Lily questioned hopefully.

"Yes, I am tremendously handsome." Finn replied with a wink. Lily leaned in and hugged him.

"Thank you!" She whispered in his ear.

"We should go pack bags, who knows how long we'll be there. We'll also need to tell my mom something so she lets us go, and do something about Zac and Arianna—"

"Oh, we're coming." Zac announced from Finn's doorway. Lily and Finn jumped apart, a blush appearing on both their faces.

"No way are we missing out on all the fun while you two go and save the world." Arianna continued. Finn looked at Lily questionably.

"It's your decision. This is your quest." Finn told her. Lily glanced at Zac sternly.

"Fine, you guys can come." They both smiled brightly. "But, there are a few conditions. If you're going with us, we're all a team. That means we stick together unless we have a plan. And no one tells anyone outside of our group anything unless instructed too, especially not Mom and Dad. Understood?" Arianna and Zac shook their heads enthusiastically.

"Okay, I think we're ready then."

* * *

After they'd all packed their things, they met Annie on the way out. She seemed a bit frazzled and frantic, which would probably aid their cause. They decided Finn should talk to her, since he was her son after all.

"So, where are you guys going?" Annie asked as she hastily moved about the kitchen.

"Well, we figured since you're so caught up with everything that's going on, it might be better if you could just go to District 12 and be with everybody else. That way we'd be out of your hair." Finn explained.

"And where exactly will you all be? Who will be taking care of you?" Annie countered. In hopes Annie would ask this, they'd prepared a response.

"The District 12 penthouse in the Capitol." Annie looked like she might faint. "Hear me out, Mom. In District 4 with you, we're just distractions, and we all know you want to go to District 12. Lily and I are both practically old enough to take care of ourselves, and Arianna and Zac are good kids. We'll behave and it will be fine. Besides, we've always wanted to see the Capitol when we weren't there for a ceremony or something else. It will be like a vacation for us. I promise you, we'll call every night, and worst comes to worst, we have Effie to take care of us. Please?" Annie seemed to consider him for a second.

"Okay, fine. But, I expect those calls, and I better not hear anything on the news about any of you four. I'm trusting you four to take care of yourselves, it's a privilege and a responsibility. I better not regret this." And with that, Annie kissed each of their heads, and left for her conference call. As the door closed behind her, they all stared at each other, shocked.

"I can't believe that actually worked." Lily exclaimed.

"Let's just hope it keeps on working." Finn agreed.

* * *

It took them an hour, but eventually they made it to the District 4 train station, holding Capitol tickets in their hands.

"Are you ready?" Finn asked Lily, who looked a little queasy.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Hey," Finn said, taking her hand. "We're in this together, okay?" She nodded, though part of her wasn't so sure who _we_ was.

"ALL ABOARD!" The conductor called. All four of them boarded the train, staying close together, searching for an open compartment. Finally they found one near the end of the train.

The train began to move, and Lily felt her stomach lurch with anticipation.

"No turning back now." Zac mused.

* * *

The ride wasn't particularly long, though Finn found it taking longer than normal. Or maybe it was just the sense of dread he felt in the pit of his abdomen. He sat next to Lily, whose eyes remained glued to the window as the landscape sped by. Arianna and Zac sat across from him, playing and intricate game that included continuously slapping their hands together. Finn tried to get caught up in his own thoughts, but he kept wandering back to the same topic. What were they going to do when they got there?

"So, what's the plan?" Zac asked, apparently finished with the game Arianna and him were playing.

"The plan?" Finn inquired.

"Yeah, the plan, you know that thing that states the procedure, how we're going to achieve our goal." Arianna added.

"Oh, well, we don't really have one." Lily replied with a shrug, finally taking her eyes off the window.

"You don't have a plan?" Zac asked, wide-eyed.

"I mean, we sort of have an idea where we're going." Finn admitted.

"But no plan?" Zac repeated.

"We kind of just planned on figuring it out as we went." Lily confessed.

"We have no destination?" Zac inquired, looking like he might faint.

"No, we have a general destination, it's—" Lily began, but the speaker interrupted her with, "Now approaching your destination, the Capitol." They all stared at each other silently. Finally, Finn spoke.

"Looks like we're here."


End file.
